Musicians from Finland to New Zealand and from Austria to Vietnam have done their bit - submitting their audition videos for the chance to be part of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 at Sydney Opera House. Now, with 336 finalists from 46 countries selected, it’s your turn to play your part: voting is open for who you think should make up the orchestra.

Your votes at youtube.com/symphony over the next seven days will help decide which of these talented musicians will be packing up their trombones, violas, and timpani and heading to Sydney Opera House from March 14-20, 2011, to perform together for a global audience.

You can vote once per video, per day, until 23:59 EST on December 17 to help YouTube Symphony Orchestra Artistic Advisor Michael Tilson Thomas boil the 300 shortlisted hopefuls down to the final 96. Your votes are also needed to help choose four solo improvisers. “Mothership” composer Mason Bates will be using your input to choose from 36 soloists, including show-stopping performances on instruments like the guzheng, the musical saw and… the udderbot.

Congratulations to those in the running, and to all of those who submitted an audition -- thank you for your hard work. We've been blown away by your talent and determination.

December begins with the return of YouTube's New Year Countdown, a special destination page presented by HTC, spotlighting 31 of the year's most memorable videos.

Special effects maestro freddiew kicks off the Countdown with a bang, courtesy of his eye-popping Flower Warfare video. As one of YouTube's break-out stars of 2010, Freddie joins some well known YouTube personalities in this year-end roll-call, which also features some of the year's most viral memes, pop parodies and other notable clips. To find out which videos made the shortlist, you'll have to check out the Countdown, as a new hit is revealed each day, holiday calendar style.

New Year Countdown is just one way that we're covering the highlights of this bumper year for video. Keep your eyes peeled for more special year-in-review coverage, and check in on the Countdown channel during the month to see if your favorites are featured.

Remember in March when we shared with you that more than 24 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute? Well, you continue to amaze us: you’ve increased the amount of video uploaded to YouTube to 35 hours per minute. That breaks out to 2,100 hours uploaded every 60 minutes, or 50,400 hours uploaded to YouTube every day. If we were to measure that in movie terms (assuming the average Hollywood film is around 120 minutes long), 35 hours a minute is the equivalent of over 176,000 full-length Hollywood releases every week. Another way to think about it is: if three of the major US networks were broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for the last 60 years, they still wouldn’t have broadcast as much content as is uploaded to YouTube every 30 days.

As you can see from the above chart, the number of uploads to YouTube have more than doubled in the last two years. How come? Here are some of the factors contributing to the growth:

The time limit for videos uploaded by users increased by 50% from 10 to 15 minutes.

The upload file size increased over the last few years by more than 10x to 2GB via our standard uploader.

Mobile phones have improved dramatically in how quickly and easily they upload videos to YouTube.

More companies integrating our APIs to support upload from outside of YouTube.com (Activision’s Call of Duty Black Ops. as one very cool example where you can record and share video footage from within the game).

So, what happens in 35 hours? Here are just some of the things that can happen in that time frame:

Clearly, you are able to tackle some of our most daunting challenges. So it is with that in mind that we throw down another heavy gauntlet: upload 48 hours of video every minute. That’s right: two full days and 100% growth of what we achieved back in March of 2010.

This week Elton John shares his favourite new British acts with UK Music Tuesday as he prepares to release a new album with 1970s Boogie Rock and Blues legend Leon Russell. A renowned music connoisseur, if you want to know who has caught the Rocket Man's ear, read on...

But before we turn to his tips for future success, when the likes of Elton John refer to a musician as their "idol", it's worth investigating the issue. "The Union", released on October 25, is the fruit of a collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell that picks up 40 years after the two men first worked together, at a point when Leon had already played with everyone from Herb Alpert to The Rolling Stones. "It's not often that you get the opportunity to work with your idol, or to make a record with him," explains Elton. "I decided to make a record with him because I thought he had been ignored for too long and he was my idol in the late 1960s and early 1970s."

Even a cursory listen to Leon's vocals on single "If It Wasn't For Bad" exposes the shared musical DNA between the two artists, and as committed Elton John fans -- "Yellow Brick Road" definitely makes the all-time Top 5 round these parts -- UK Music Tuesday is keen to hear more from "The Union". But to learn what is currently catching Elton John's ear from the UK, see below:

"Plan B has made probably the album of the year – it’s the album I have played most this year," enthuses Elton. "It’s an extraordinary record considering that the album he made before this was a rap record."

"I could not believe this girl’s voice," he says of Rumer. "Just extraordinary… a beautiful voice. They don’t come along that often and then you get one that comes along like Rumer’s and she’s going to be a huge star. In England we seem to be capable of bringing these singers out, like Adele, Duffy and Amy Winehouse. Lily Allen is another one. People with extraordinary voices..."

On which note, UK Music Tuesday is going to leave you to enjoy the music. Huge thanks to Elton John for effortlessly linking 1970 and 2010 and providing numerous jumping off points for musical discovery here on YouTube. Even a simple search for Leon Russell surfaces some incredible footage.

Earlier this year we announced the US launch of the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) for Musicians, aka Musicians Wanted. Today we are happy to reveal that the initiative has been extended to more territories, offering independent acts from Sweden to New Zealand the opportunity to make money from their YouTube uploads.

Users in Canada, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, the UK, Sweden, The Czech Republic, Argentina and New Zealand now have the opportunity to apply for the ability to serve ads alongside their work and collect a share of the revenues created. Here is a recap on on the programme from YouTube musician extraordinaire Jack Conte and singer Nataly Dawn (aka Pomplamoose):

So, if you are a musician based in any of the territories listed above – or if you’re based in the US and haven’t done so yet – head to the sign-up page and register for the programme. After all, you’ve got nothing to lose and potentially a whole lot to gain.

Next week the YouTube Play jury will announce the top 25 videos that it selected from the 23,000 submissions received. We’re busy working with the Guggenheim to make sure that this announcement is like no other. Right now we can’t tell you who those 25 are, but we can tell you a little about the event we’re going to throw to celebrate it.

YouTube Play: Live From The Guggenheim will be a live streamed event featuring music, collaborations, eye-popping projections and, of course, the most creative video. If you’re in New York, you can catch some of the projections on the façade of the building on the night of October 21. If you’re not, then head to youtube.com/play on October 21 to catch the event live, starting at 1 a.m. (BST).

So who’s going to be there? Here’s a sneak peek of our lineup:

OK Go: The Chicago-based four-piece have torn up the rulebook with their music videos, picking up a Grammy and tens of millions of views in the process. "This Too Shall Pass" is in the YouTube Play shortlist.

Kutiman:"ThruYOU" was named one of Time Magazine’s top 50 best inventions for 2009, and is also in the shortlist. Kutiman shot to fame by compiling musical elements from across YouTube; at the Guggenheim, he’ll be choreographing a unique live collaboration.

Michael Showalter: The MC for the evening is also the star of Comedy Central’s Michael and Michael Have Issues, has a hit online with CollegeHumor.com’s The Michael Showalter Showalter, and used to be on The Daily Show.

That’s it for now. You’re going to have to head to youtube.com/play on the night to find out who made the top 25 and what things really look like when YouTube meets the Guggenheim.

The world’s first online collaborative orchestra is back, and this time a new round of performers will be playing their part onstage at the iconic Sydney Opera House.

It seems like just yesterday that Carnegie Hall was abuzz with a sold-out performance that made headlines around the globe. Ninety-six musicians arrived in New York City, from over 30 countries, to perform together after uploading an audition video and then being chosen by the YouTube community to be a part of the exciting event. We are thrilled to invite you to audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011.

In addition to the new locale, this “second act” includes another new element: “Mothership,” a musical work from composer Mason Bates. Right now, it’s still missing something: an improvisation provided by you. Take a listen to it here and start planning your contribution.

This time there are two ways to audition, for the classical audition perform the pieces listed on the channel according to instrument. For the opportunity to contribute your own creation, choose the solo improviser—it doesn’t matter if you play trumpet, viola or didgeridoo. If you proceed to the final stages, you will join musicians from around the world in a week-long music summit with Grammy-award-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who returns to guide the orchestra.

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 is a collaboration with partners the Sydney Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker and many other leading institutions of the classical music world. This event is being made possible by Hyundai.

Today we are pleased to turn over UK Music Tuesday to Marina And The Diamonds. A sly, bright presence in a Pop environment that can seem more nakedly packaged than ever, she has pulled together a playlist that is both heavy on quality and a smart shapshot of the genuine span of a genre that clearly fascinates and inspires her.

Since signing up to YouTube in July 2008, Marina has generated an impressive 18 million clicks from just 12 uploads, with "Hollywood" tipping the scales at a mighty 6.2 million hits. "YouTube has become kind of the voice of the people of our generation," she explains. "You have changed Pop Culture, the way that music labels work and the way that artists work. You've given artists who aren't necessarily signed a way to show people they are talented."

Her playlist places Madonna, Dolly Parton and Garbage are alongside the likes of Nirvana, Royksopp and Eminem, with less established acts like The Hundred In The Hands, Euro-Pop wonder Alizee and the perenially overlooked Robyn making cameo appearances. Hear her talk through her curation here:

It is always a pleasure to see how artists choose to approach putting together UK Music Tuesday playlists and Marina has been no exception. While clearly a Pop artist, her approach -- echoing many of the acts she lists above -- manages to be fresh while remaining somehow familiar. We wish her luck with the release of her debut album, "Family Jewels", and look forward to tracking her career here on YouTube.

As part of today’s celebration, you may have noticed a special YouTube logo that’s being featured in 24 different countries highlighting the artist’s famous self-portrait. This unique artwork is also part of a birthday video that you can find at www.google.com. It’s the very first time that a YouTube video has been embedded into a one-of-a-kind Google Doodle — read a message from artist who created it here.

“Spread Peace. Imagine Peace.” is how Yoko suggests you celebrate the day, along with sharing your video tribute with the world.

Today the YouTube UK homepage has been turned over to Magnetic Man, the Dubstep collective that consists of three of the genre’s prime movers – Skream, Benga and Artwork. Their playlist is one of the most wide-ranging that UK Music Tuesday has showcased to date and is topped off with three brand new tracks from them, so prepare yourself for a musical adventure with the coolest thing to come out of Croydon since Saint Etienne.

As a genre, Dubstep has rapidly made inroads into the UK's musical consciousness, an incredible feat given that its roots only date back to 2003 and a recording studio over Croydon record shop Big Apple. The store was owned and run by Arthur Smith, who was using the studio to produce UK Garage (2-Step) and Techno tracks under the name Artwork. One of those tracks, "Red", contained all the DNA of Dubstep, strands that were picked up on and evolved by two of Big Apple's young regulars, Benga Adejumo and Oliver Jones (Skream).

The three artists enjoyed and continue to see phenomenal success with their solo recordings, but the Magnetic Man project has slightly different ambitions. "Dubstep is the biggest progression in music in the last five years," says Skream. "But too many people think that it's noisy, mid-range stuff. Magnetic Man is about a lot more than that, Magnetic Man is about proper songs, not just tracks or tunes." Their eponymous debut album, out on October 11, is testament to that ambition, and as part of today's takeover, Magnetic Man are premiereing three all-new recordings from the LP.

On which note, it is only appropriate to steer you towards Magnetic Man talking through their selections. Hold tight, because if you haven't been exposed to Dubstep before, you may be in for an aural surprise:

Here at UK Music Tuesday we were particularly impressed by the wide-ranging nature of today's curation, with references to the trio's real names, nods to their roots (and old friends) and pointers to new points of musical departure -- including artists like Ronald Jenkees, who are using YouTube to get their music and performances out to as wide an audience as possible. While that shouldn't come as a shock from three men who clearly spent their formative years flicking through vinyl and showcasing the results as DJs, that doesn't make it any less of a pleasure, so huge thanks to them for their efforts.

Have fun, enjoy the fruits of their labours, and see you next week, which is shaping up to be another exciting Guest Curation,

It’s now down to the YouTube Play jury to pick up to 20 videos for a special presentation at the Guggenheim Museum on October 21. Here is one of the jurors, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, to explain why he thinks YouTube is important in the art world today:

The videos selected by the jury will be on view to the public from October 22 through 24 in the Tower 2 Gallery of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, at kiosks at the Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao, Berlin and Venice, and available to a worldwide audience on the YouTube Play channel.

The good, incredibly well-dressed people of Grazia Magazine curate the homepage today, preparing you for the onslaught of London Fashion Week with a quick look back at the New York shows and the first installment of the magazine’s new online component, Grazia TV.

If you're a fan of all things fashion, we recommend that you subscribe the Grazia channel. The magazine has big plans to involve style-obsessed YouTube users in future, and you could be one of the first to get involved.

On July 24, people around the world made history by capturing glimpses of their lives on camera and submitting the videos to Life in a Day, an experiment to create a documentary about a single day on Earth. In total, 80,000 videos were submitted from 197 countries, making this the world's largest user-generated film. Now, you can explore many of these videos in the gallery on the Life in a Day channel .

To make browsing easy, you can sort videos by geography, time of day, mood and more. The film's Academy Award-winning director, Kevin Macdonald, and his team are adding more videos to the Life in a Day gallery as they are reviewed, so check back soon for more content. You'll also find updates from Macdonald and editor Joe Walker as they lead a team of researchers in reviewing and cutting the footage down to the final feature-length film. Remember to subscribe to the channel for more news on the film's progress as Kevin and producer Ridley Scott gear up for the world premiere in January at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Congratulations again to all of the participants. Thanks for making history.

In an effort to help original content creators learn about the growing opportunities on YouTube, we're hosting a live and interactive session this Wednesday, September 1, 2010, at 3:00 p.m. BST. This could be the perfect time to apply for a YouTube partnership!

We’ll take you through the numerous benefits of becoming a YouTube Partner, the criteria for joining the YouTube Partner Program, and the application process. Attendees of the session will have the chance to have their applications approved immediately, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

YouTube has been shortlisted alongside five other fantastic music sites as The Best Place To Hear Music by the BT Digital Music Awards. So, if the thought of us in full awards garb making a hash of our acceptance speech appeals, head to the BT DMA site and get voting, as the winner will be decided by you, the Great British Public.

These are the big questions on the lips of the YouTube community. To help answer them, we're launching “YouTube Charts” to give you a clear view of how your favorite videos and creators stack up against each other. You can sort charts by “today,” “this week” and “all time.”

We’d love to hear your suggestions on which charts you’d like to see. Best newcomer? Most shared video? Fastest to a million views? Let us know right here, in the forum discussion on this topic.

Grime is arguably the most dynamic, exciting and productive genre in the UK right now, and so it is only proper that it should enjoy its own UK Music Tuesday. With artists flooding the platform with their work, we have called in the experts: this week's curation is brought to you by Jamal 'SB' Edwards, the man behind youth lifestyle broadcasting channel SB.TV -- so sit back and enjoy his Grime Top 40.

"I started using YouTube about three or four years ago, as I thought it was the best way to get my music to the masses -- to spread Grime and UK Urban music worldwide," Jamal explains. "Fast forward to now and I have 17.5 million views and have filmed international stars. I see YouTube as a great way to bridge that initial gap -- because when I say to people that I have 17 .5 million views, they are shocked. And that has helped me to get jobs, to talk to people... it has led to quite a lot of things."

In that time it has also become clear that YouTube has become the digital channel of choice for the fast-developing genre, which has managed to hold on to its underground roots while sending its stars to the top of the charts. "I think Grime artists have embraced YouTube the way they have because it is easily accessible," reasons Jamal. "YouTube is just... there. And everyone is on it. So when you put up video up you know it is going to go out to a lot of people."

So let's see what SB.TV have prepared for UK Music Tuesday:

Alongside Grime, Jamal has another passion -- his subscribers on YouTube: "My subscribers have hugely helped me as when I put a video up, it goes straight out to them. That is another good way of getting yourself out there. Related videos is also another great tool to discover new music.

"Today I have included videos from GrimeDaily, Tim Westwood TV, Tim & Barry -- people who I think are doing it as much as I am, and trying to push it out. Because at the end of the day, and I don't want to sound corny, we are trying to push Team UK out there as everyone is trying to do their thing at the moment."

On which note, it feels like a good time to thank Jamal and SB.TV for an excellent UK Music Tuesday. Head to the channel for more playlists, subscribe, leave us a comment -- and we'll see you next week.

Tonight, thousands of fans will pack into Madison Square Garden in New York City to hear Arcade Fire...but they won’t be the only ones experiencing the band’s orchestral indie rock roar: the concert will be live-streamed right here at 3 a.m (BST)/10 p.m. (ET). The global webcast will be directed by Monty Python alum and award-winning filmmaker Terry Gilliam, and is the first show in the new “Unstaged” concert series brought to you by YouTube, American Express and Vevo.

But don’t simply watch -- participate! During tonight’s concert, you can interact with the band and the performance itself by choosing your own camera angle. You can also be part of the show via the "Share Your Suburb" photo project. Since Arcade Fire’s new album is called The Suburbs, they’re encouraging fans to upload pictures of their own leafy neighborhoods, including snapshots of front porches, tree-lined streets and grocery store parking lots -- anything that reflects your hometown. The band will feature their favorite submissions onstage during their live performance, so go ahead and submit your images here.

Viewers will also hear from the group in a special pre-show Q&A interview conducted by Terry Gilliam, based on questions you asked here.

So tune in tonight at 3 a.m. (BST)/10 p.m. (ET) to catch these chart-topping Canadians performing live from one of the most legendary venues in NYC. And don’t fret if you miss anything: highlights from the concert will be available on the band’s YouTube channel shortly after the event.

We want YouTube to be the best place to upload video. Without question, the number one requested feature by our creators is to upload videos longer than 10 minutes. We’ve heard you, and today we’re pleased to announce that we’ve increased the upload limit to 15 minutes.

We encourage you to take full advantage of this new time limit by making a video of your “15 minutes of fame.” Imagine that this video is all the world will ever know about you: what would you want to communicate? What will be the enduring stamp you’ve left on us all? Tag your video with “yt15minutes,” upload it by Wednesday, August 4, and we’ll select a handful of people to truly gain their 15 minutes of fame by featuring them on the YouTube homepage in a future spotlight.

In the meantime, you may wonder “why now?” -- the upload limit for non-partners has been 10 minutes for years. Well, we’ve spent significant resources on creating and improving our state-of-the-art Content ID system and many other powerful tools for copyright owners. Now, all of the major U.S. movie studios, music labels and over 1,000 other global partners use Content ID to manage their content on YouTube. Because of the success of these ongoing technological efforts, we are able to increase the upload limit today. We will continue our strong commitment to provide advanced technology and tools to protect the rights of small and large copyright owners worldwide. We’ll also do everything we can to release incremental improvements like this one that benefit our video creators.

One final note: if you’re uploading a video that was previously rejected for being too long, you’ll have to go into “My Videos” and delete it before attempting to upload it again. Thanks and happy uploading!

Today we spotlight the results of the first four weeks of GetFeaturedUK, a new channel dedicated to surfacing the best that the YouTube UK community has to offer.

Set up by three YouTubers – Gary, Ben and Jack – the channel invites uploaders to put their recent work up for review by a five-person channel with a view to featuring a weekly Top Three:

However, in order for this project to reach its goals, GetFeaturedUK needs to build an audience big enough to help break new talent – so don’t delay, go and subscribe today. And if you want to get a piece of the action or be part of the panel, get over to the channel and get involved.

As for us here at YouTube UK, we’re happy to lend support to anyone trying out new things – so let us know what you’re up to in the comments below and we'll mosey on by for a shufty.

“Did you really kiss a girl?” “Do you ever laugh at the parody videos making fun of you?” “Are you and Russell planning on having kids?” The call was to ask Katy Perry anything you wanted, and you responded with a record-breaking 20,500 text and video questions submitted to Katy’s channel via the Moderator tool. Over 401,600 votes were cast, and YouTube’s own Lisa Nova posed the most popular questions to Perry, who was wearing a Latex getup only she could pull off:

For artists, YouTube is a 21st century canvas. Since the YouTube Play project was announced last month, more than 6,000 videos ranging in genres, topics and budget have been submitted from 69 countries, and the YouTube Play channel has received over 2 million views.

Today, we’re unveiling the jury for YouTube Play, which includes some of the world’s leading artists, from international film festival winners and renowned photographers to performance and video artists on the cutting edge of art.

Over the course of the next few months, these jurors will watch countless hours of videos submitted by the international YouTube community and select the most creative and inspiring work to showcase at the Guggenheim museums in October.

Already, this campaign has drawn some remarkable talent, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of your submissions in our quest to find the most creative video art in the world and showcase it alongside van Gogh and Picasso. The deadline for getting your videos in is July 31. For more information about the jurors and to learn more about how to participate, check out youtube.com/play.

Hello, music lover, meet “Unstaged,” a new five-part concert series brought to you by YouTube, American Express and VEVO. Each performance will not only be streamed live on YouTube, but it will also have unique on- and offline components to entertain fans -- for example, you may be able to vote on the encore performance or switch camera angles. And if you miss anything, no worries: the full show and highlights will be available on the artist’s channel soon after the show.

Kicking off the series will be Arcade Fire, who will perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 5. The concert will coincide with the release of Arcade Fire’s third album, The Suburbs, and will be broadcast live to the world on www.youtube.com/arcadefirevevo.

Other artists slated to be part of the “Unstaged” lineup include John Legend and the Roots. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks so keep an ear tuned right here for more details.

This Saturday, don’t forget to charge those batteries, polish those lenses and get your cameras ready to capture a glimpse of your life for “Life In A Day”.

Two weeks ago, we announced this historic cinematic experiment to create the world's largest user-generated documentary, made possible by LG, produced and directed by renowned filmmakers Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald and filmed by you. In the words of Ridley, it’s now time to “just do it”.

If your video is selected for inclusion in the final film, you’ll be credited as a co-director and may be one of 20 contributors selected to attend the world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

This week Music Tuesday focuses on some of the unsigned talent out there trying to find an initial, seed audience via YouTube. And who better to curate such a Spotlight than a band drawn from their peers -- in this case Sons Of Admirals, whose recent upload of "Here Comes My Baby" is approaching 1.5MM views, scored itself a slot in the iTunes indie charts and has generated a fair bit of media interest in the process.

Sons Of Admirals consists of Nerimon, Hexachordal, CharlieIsSoCoolLike and Eddplant, who between them command a subscriber base of some 770,000 -- qualifying them as the nearest thing that YouTube UK has to a supergroup. The four musicians met each other through the platform and have a very clear understanding of what YouTube has offered to them. But before we get into that, let's have a look at the videos they have selected, and why:

"Sons Of Admirals would not exist without YouTube," explains Nerimon. "The four of us all met on the site and all had a great respect for the things the others were doing, and it just seemed a natural fit for us to work together."

"YouTube has been an absolutely wonderful tool for me in terms of gaining confidence in order to push my career forwards," continues Eddplant. "If it wasn’t for my subscribers and the support that I have gotten in comments and through gatherings, I would definitely not be where I am today."

CharlieIsSoCoolLike takes a slightly different tack, singing the praises of being able to produce music on his own terms: "It’s a great asset to have no to worry about having any record labels to help you make your start – you can make your start yourself and, for me, that’s a really valuable thing."

But the process isn't all one way, as Hexachordal stresses: "If you consider yourself to be a YouTuber and a musician at the same time, one thing that is very vital to remember that the video is as important if not more important than the song itself."

So, Sons Of Admirals have not only brought their selections to UK Music Tuesday, but a little hard-won advice as well. Namely: collaborate, use YouTube to test your ideas, trust your instincts and respect your audience. And whether you choose to heed their recommendations or not, hopefully you have enjoyed their selections -- at which point it seems only polite to thank Tyrannosauruslexxx, MusicFromBlueSkies, MrTinoForever and Sons Of Admirals themselves.

There are a lot of talented, aspiring musicians using YouTube in a huge variety to ways to test, play with and promote their work, and today's Spotlight doesn't pretend to cover them all. So, if you think that you could produce a similarly compelling UK Music Tuesday, please head over to our dedicated channel, subscribe (naturally) and talk us into placing you at the controls. We're waiting to hear from you.

Perhaps you’ve seen Katy Perry kissing girls, waking up in Vegas or parodied by the YouTube community. More recently, she’s been spotted cavorting with hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg (along with life-size Gummi Bears and multi-striped snakes) in her latest “California Gurls” clip.

Well, now she’s putting that day-glo fantasy life on hold to answer your questions:

You have until midnight PT on July 18 to submit a video or text question to Katy’s channel (www.youtube.com/katyperry). Everyone will be able to vote on the questions until July 18, and Katy will answer the most popular in an exclusive Q&A as conducted by YouTube’s own Lisa Nova. We’ll put the interview on the homepage shortly after it’s edited and uploaded to YouTube.

A click here, a search there, a browse on this page -- sometimes it can take more than a few flicks of the wrist and finger taps to get your daily dose of video. Luckily, YouTube Leanback wants you to conserve your energy for actually watching more videos. Mmm...more videos...

Just as its name implies, YouTube Leanback is all about letting you sit back, relax and be entertained. Videos tailored to your interests play as soon as you visit the site and they play in full screen and high definition, continuously. There's no need to click, search, or browse, unless you want to, of course. Watching YouTube becomes as easy as watching TV.

To see what we mean, go to www.youtube.com/leanback, and you'll note that a selection of videos -- your feed -- plays immediately. This feed is based on your YouTube settings and preferences, including content from your subscriptions and videos your friends are sharing on Facebook (assuming you've connected your YouTube account to your Facebook account). You can also watch the most popular comedy, entertainment, news, or more. And if you don't care for the video that's playing, use the right arrow key on your keyboard to skip ahead to the next video, or try the up/down arrows to search, access player controls, and browse channels and videos. You won't need your mouse for this experience.

Here's more about how YouTube Leanback works (we'll also show you how to hook up your Facebook account):

YouTube Leanback is currently in beta, but we'd love for you to try it out at www.youtube.com/leanback and let us know what it's like to kick back and revel in the endless stream of YouTube entertainment!

Every day, 6.7 billion people view the world through their own unique lens. Imagine if there was a way to collect all of these perspectives, to aggregate and mold them into the cohesive story of a single day on earth.

Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of “Life in a Day,” a historic cinematic experiment that will attempt to do just that: document one day, as seen through the eyes of people around the world. On July 24, you have 24 hours to capture a snapshot of your life on camera. You can film the ordinary -- a sunrise, the commute to work, a neighborhood soccer match, or the extraordinary -- a baby’s first steps, your reaction to the passing of a loved one, or even a marriage.

Kevin Macdonald, the Oscar-winning director of films such as The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void and One Day in September, will then edit the most compelling footage into a feature documentary film, to be executive produced by Ridley Scott, the director behind films like Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Thelma & Louise, Blade Runner and Robin Hood. LG Electronics is supporting “Life in a Day” as a key part of its long-standing Life’s Good campaign and to support the creation of quality online content that can be shared and enjoyed by all.

The film will premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and if your footage makes it into the final cut, you’ll be credited as a co-director and may be one of 20 contributors selected to attend the premiere.

Want to take part? Here’s what to do.

1. Visit the “Life in a Day” channel and learn more about the project. Be sure to read through the steps you need to take to participate and the guidelines for creating your video(s). Also check out some of the sample videos for inspirational ideas.

Regardless of whether your footage makes it into the final film, your video(s) will live on on the “Life in a Day” channel as a time capsule that will tell future generations what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010.

This Sunday (June 27) Paul McCartney takes to the stage to headline Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park and YouTube will be hosting a stream from the event at the BornHIVFree channel.

Starting at 8.30pm in the UK (12.30pm Pacific Time), visitors to the channel can enjoy an exclusive broadcast of McCartney's performance, donated by the former Beatle to The Global Fund’s Born HIV Free campaign, which has another high-profile patron in the form of France’s First Lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

Born HIV Free is urging people pledge their support to The Global Fund’s efforts to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015 by adding their names to the organisation’s Support Wall. At present, 45% of HIV-Positive pregnant women have access to the drugs they need to block transfer of the virus to their babies, with Global Fund-supported programmes reaching 790,000 to date… 340,000 in 2009 alone. The goal is clear and your voice could make the difference.

So, as you are listening to Paul McCartney work his way through what – with The Beatles, Wings and his solo recordings – must rank as one of the best sets of songs of all time, spare a minute to find out more about Born HIV Free, The Global Fund and maybe even add your support. YouTube will be updating live on Twitter this Sunday via @youtube, and you can add your comments to a planned Twitter stream on the channel using #bornhivfree.

As pop stars go, Kylie Minogue has proved herself to be one of the most enduring and interesting of the past 20 years. Which is why UK Music Tuesday is happy to announce that she is inviting the YouTube community to put their questions to her via Google Moderator at her channel -- after all, she has a lot to talk about.

When she first hit the charts with “The Locomotion”, it would have taken a brave soul to predict Kylie’s subsequent career arc. Going from Stock, Aitken and Waterman to then of-the-moment (and recently revived) dance label Deconstruction to becoming arguably the hippest female pop act of the 21st century (pre-Lady Gaga) with the incontrovertible video classic “Spinning Around”, featuring ‘those’ gold lame hotpants, you have to say that she has been nothing if not predictable. If you then take into account duets with the likes of Nick Cave and Robbie Williams, suddenly the true measure of her versatility emerges.

Now, with her 11th studio album “Aphrodite”, Kylie shows that she has lost none of her innate allure with the pheromone-packed “All The Lovers” and presumably much, much more to come. Which is where you have a part to play: UK Music Tuesday urges you to head to her channel and put your questions for Kylie Minogue on record using the Google Moderator gadget you'll find on the page. The Top 10 –- as voted for by the YouTube community -- will be put to the former “Neighbours” starlet next month, at which point we’ll reveal all in an exclusive interview on the YouTube UK homepage.

Video editing usually requires installing software packages and having a fair amount of technical savvy. But we think video editing should be fun and easy, so we’re introducing a new tool that anyone -- even this guy -- could figure out: it’s an online video editor, now available in TestTube, our ideas incubator.

Without installing any software, it allows you to:

Combine multiple videos you’ve uploaded to create a new longer video

Trim the beginning and/or ending of your videos

Add soundtracks from our AudioSwap library of tens of thousands of songs

Create new videos without worrying about file formats and publish them to YouTube with one click -- no upload necessary

Watch this video from powerposter rewboss to get a sense of how it works:

See? Pretty easy. The editor is ideal for merging single, short clips into a longer video. For example, you can transform clips from your vacation into a video travel diary set to music, or create a highlights reel from footage of your last football game.

It’s also great for trimming a long video down to the moments you really care about. Say you’ve uploaded a wedding ceremony -- beautiful event, but do you really need to see all the guests shuffle in? The video editor lets you easily remove unwanted footage so you can capture just the moment when they say “I do.”

Please play with it and let us know what you think in the comments below and/or check out more info about it in our Help Centre. We’re looking forward to adding new features based on your feedback to make the video editor more powerful while still retaining its simplicity.

Do you ever look at a YouTube video and think, "That's a work of art?" Yep, so do we -- and now, so does the Guggenheim.

In five years, YouTube has redefined media culture by changing the way the world creates, distributes and watches video. Online video is exploding not just as a medium, but as an art form, and we're proud of the originality and innovation that YouTube has fostered among our users. Our community has produced some of the most creative and celebrated works on the Internet, videos that have been viewed by millions of people around the world.

We want to celebrate phenomenal video-makers and recognize the creative potential of the medium. So today we're collaborating with the Guggenheim Museum to discover the most creative video in the world, and showcase exceptional talent working in the ever-expanding realm of digital media: YouTube Play: A Biennial of Creative Video. This global online initiative is presented in collaboration with HP.

We're looking for animation, motion graphics, narrative, non-narrative, or documentary work, music videos and entirely new artforms -- creations that really challenge the world's perceptions of what's possible with video. We want to elevate the debate. This presentation, we hope, will garner some of the finest creative work from every corner of the globe, not only to showcase it on one of the biggest stages online, but also in one of the most iconic artistic venues in the world: the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and throughout the Guggenheim network of museums in Bilbao, Venice and Berlin.

Participants must submit their videos to YouTube Play to enter. The deadline for submission is July 31, 2010, after which the Guggenheim will assemble a shortlist to be evaluated by an international jury of experts from the worlds of art, design, film and video. Up to 20 videos will be presented at the Guggenheim Museum in New York on October 21, with simultaneous presentations at the Guggenheim museums in Bilbao, Venice and Berlin. The presentations will also be viewable to on the YouTube Play brand channel at youtube.com/play.

As we did with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, we hope to build an aspirational place for some of the world’s best artists to showcase their works and talents. For more information about how to enter, go to youtube.com/play.

Teams representing 32 nations have gathered in South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football tournament celebrating the world’s most popular game, which begins Friday, June 11, and concludes in a month, with the championship match on Sunday, July 11.

This World Cup has special significance as it will be the first time the event has been held in Africa, where the game has been growing in leaps and bounds – besides host nation South Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon and Algeria will be competing.

According to FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the sport’s governing body, the World Cup is the most-widely viewed sporting event in the world, with fans everywhere following their teams with rapt attention.

On YouTube, there will be many ways to feel World Cup fever. Here are some channels to subscribe to:

- The U.S. team will face England in one of the Cup’s most-anticipated matches on Saturday, June 12. Get behind-the-scenes footage of each team on their respective channels: USA, England.

- Coca-Cola is celebrating the tradition of the post-goal dance, giving people a chance to submit their original moves to the “Longest Celebration.” Submit here.

- Visa is creating an epic video of fans around the world screaming “GOOOAAALLL!” in the style of the iconic soccer announcer Andrés Cantor. Submit your video here.

- Last but certainly not least, Portugal striker extraordinaire (and international heartthrob) Christiano Ronaldo has joined the YouTube community and sends his regards to soccer fans:

Five years ago, Dutch professional footballer Edgar Davids gathered a talented group of Dutch street soccer players and travelled across Europe, the United States and Latin America to take on the best local teams, on their own streets. After numerous matches in five countries, Davids’ team emerged victorious and claimed the ‘Street Legends’ monicker.

This year Davids and his Street Legends are hitting the road again to see if they’re still are worthy of the title ... and this time you can watch their journey on YouTube.

The team started in Amsterdam before heading on to London and Paris. They passed through Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, heading for the bustling townships of Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa. Along the way, the best local street players from their respective countries attempted to de-throne Davids and The Street Legends, who were joined along the way by famous football faces like Ryan Babel, Michael Essien, and Marcel Desailly.

In Africa, The Street Legends and Edgar are also embarked on a personal voyage of discovery - understanding how street soccer influences people and how it thrives across Europe and Africa every day. Along the way, Edgar visited social grassroots projects across Africa that are providing healthcare, education and hope to thousands of men and women, boys and girls. Check out some amazing moments from their visits to Senegal and Kenya.

Since the BP oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, over six million gallons of oil have poured into the water. Now you can see what's happening firsthand on YouTube, through a live stream of the leak on PBS NewsHour's YouTube channel.Today, BP will begin their 'top kill' procedure, which will attempt to drill mud into the well to block the flowing oil. Thanks to the urging of Congress you'll be able to witness the entire process in real-time on YouTube.

Now that you can see what's going on, PBS and YouTube want you to submit your best ideas via Google Moderator, on how to stop this environmental catastrophe. PBS NewsHour will air some of the top YouTube submissions in their broadcast tomorrow evening and online:

Many of you have already come up with creative solutions on how to stop the leak or clean up the spill, and you’re using video to make these ideas come to life. Here are a few innovative examples:

Tune in to the live stream here, and if you have ideas you think BP should hear, submit them before midnight tomorrow. For information on the oil spill, including the latest imagery of the spill and information on how you can help, visit oilspill.

In five years, YouTube has become a window on to the global world of creativity, and a reminder that great creativity is not the preserve of big agencies from major markets.

More than that, it’s also a sobering reminder that consumers can often be every bit as creative as the professionals.

But there’s no doubt that the video-sharing site has completely revolutionised how people approach advertising – whether it’s providing creatives with an alternative source of inspiration, allowing ads to enjoy a longer shelf-life, encouraging consumers to get directly involved with the commercial message or helping brands to produce more effective advertising on even smaller budgets.

And it’s opened up ads to commercial audiences well beyond the markets for which the work was originally created.

So while YouTube has enabled the UK to showcase such talent as Susan Boyle and Paul Potts to the world, it has also allowed the Great British Public to enjoy ads such as the iconic “carousel” campaign created for Philips by Tribal DDB Amsterdam and the epic “rollerbabies” spot for Evian by BETC Euro RSCG, which had been circulating around the internet months before it ever hit UK TV screens.

This sort of exposure means that we are no longer surprised by the talent that steps up on to the podium when the Cannes Lions get dished out in June.

Even with the ceremony still a month away, you’ve probably already laughed along to the Cannes hopeful “smell like a man” Old Spice spot by Wieden & Kennedy Portland and immersed yourself in Euro RSCG’s campaign for Dos Equis, which introduces “the most interesting man in the world”.

So here’s Campaign’s selection of some of the best ads from around the world. They’re not necessarily new but they’re currently riding high in YouTube rankings.

Some of the ads we’ve chosen to spotlight will make you laugh (should balloon animals simulating sex really be that funny?), while others, such as the Orange “airball” or Movistar “connected” work, may leave you with a lump in your throat. You may even see a campaign for the first time that will provide the inspiration for your next piece of work.

From an epic US Super Bowl spot to a viral that forms the basis of a Swedish experiential campaign, sit back and enjoy a selection of the most entertaining, most intriguing and most impactful ads from beyond the London village.

Want to know where Kelis’ love of bodypaint stems from? Or her thoughts on Tina Turner and Sheryl Crowe? If so, head for her video below and prepare yourself for a love-bombing from the singer, who has just released her first album for almost four years, “Flesh Tone”, and is clearly very happy about it.

Described as “a best-kept secret” by the Black-Eyed Peas’ will.i.am -- strange when you think that she has tracks including “Caught Out There”, “Milkshake” and “Trick Me” to her name – Kelis has spent nearly four years out the limelight. Her comeback video, “Acapella”, features one reason for her absence, with one-year-old son, Knight, making an appearance in the final shot, but also underlines a departure from her former R&B sound.

The collection of videos that Kelis has drawn together maybe offers a few clues to this new path, so click below to see her talk through the selections:

So, if you ever wondered what Kelis likes to listen while she is kicking around at home, now you know: Zero 7. At the same time, you also know how to get into her good books: follow in the footsteps of Empire Of The Sun and go to one of her gigs. You also have maybe the inkling of an idea of the passions that drive her -- love being prime among them. Having armed you with this knowledge, here’s hoping that you enjoy Kelis’ curation. And we don’t know about you, but on the strength of this we’re looking forward to getting hold of “Flesh Tone” – it looks like being a fascinating listen.